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pilots have transported both their industry and the name of their miserable village there. There are certainly few places in the world that look as sad and desolate as la Balize. The narrow strip of earth where the houses are grouped is at the same time the shore of the river and that of the sea; the salty waves and the swells of freshwater cover it in turn and meet each other there in a labyrinth of ditches filled with a viscous and corrupted mixture; everywhere a bulge of the spongy earth allows plants to attach their roots, wild canes and reeds grow there in impenetrable thickets. The shacks are made of planks that are as light as possible in order that they not sink in the soaked ground, and, so that the moisture can penetrate them less, they are perched on high stilts as if on perches. Also, when the storm wind blows and the waves of the sea come one after another tumbling into the river over the offshore bar, the houses of la Balize could well be swept away if they were not moored like ships; sometimes even the village comes to drag on its anchors. Fevers and death emerge incessantly from the blanket of miasmas spread out over la Balize. Yet, four hundred
Americans have the courage to perch in these shacks and sleep off their fever there, in the hope of being able to rob passing ships.
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376:. Beyond this dark line, the river appeared like a great white silk ribbon, then came another black line parallel to the first, and farther away the blue waters of the sea stretched out to the grey curve of the horizon. The Mississippi resembled a canal advancing toward the open sea between two long jetties, and the 40 or 50 ships, whose tapered masts we saw standing out vaguely against the sky, completed the picture. It is a spectacle that some day will be witnessed, on a much reduced scale, at the
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Not only did hurricanes destroy the settlements, but engineers started working early to try to improve entry at the river mouth. In 1726 French engineers dragged an iron harrow through sandbanks to make it easier for ships to pass the bar. Other elements which pilots and captains had to deal with at
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By 1722 the center of the French colony was in New
Orleans. In the early 18th century, the Roman Catholic Church quickly established seven pioneer parishes in the Louisiana colony, among them the parish at La Balize, founded in 1722. The French also founded four pioneer parishes in early villages of
176:
claimed the land in 1682 for the French crown, he identified this site near the mouth of the
Mississippi as important. It was at a point just above two major forks in the river, so passage could be controlled. A map drawn about 1720 showed the mouth of the Mississippi with the different forks of the
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Despite the vulnerability of the low-lying site to hurricanes, the French and later the
Spanish needed to control the mouth of the Mississippi and have a place where pilots could meet the ships. They always rebuilt. The complicated conditions on the Mississippi River required ships to have river
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The village of
Pilotsville, whose plank shacks are built on the left bank , is generally known by the name of Balize. In reality, this name belongs to another village founded by French settlers on the southeast pass, but since the southwest pass has become the main mouth of the Mississippi, the
156:, on the west bank of the Mississippi. That village was taken down by wind and a storm surge of the September 14–15 hurricane of 1860. La Balize was abandoned, and a new pilots' settlement was constructed about five miles (8 km) upriver on the east bank of the Mississippi, just above the
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By degrees bulrushes of enormous growth become visible, and a few more miles of mud brought us within sight of a cluster of huts called the Balize, by far the most miserable station that I ever saw made the dwelling of man, but I was told that many families of pilots and fishermen lived
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One only object rears itself above the eddying waters; this is the mast of a vessel long since wrecked in attempting to cross the bar, and it still stands, a dismal witness of the destruction that has been, and a boding prophet of that which is to
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what are now
Mississippi and Alabama. After the establishment of La Balize, the King commissioned Nicolas Godefroy Barbin to serve as the "Garde Magazin" (chief administrator) there. That commission, signed in 1703 by the King and his minister
149:. The village was vulnerable to seasonal hurricanes. Washed away in a hurricane of 1740, the village was rebuilt on the newly emerged island of San Carlos. That village in turn was damaged severely several times and finally destroyed.
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September 14–15, 1860 - The second hurricane struck at the mouth of the
Mississippi and destroyed La Balize. Tides were six feet above the high-water mark. The village was abandoned and rebuilt upriver at what became
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Large flights of pelicans were seen standing upon the long masses of mud which rose above the surface of the waters, and a pilot came to guide us over the bar, long before any other indication of land was visible.
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to observe the appearance of the
Southwest Pass, the main mouth of the Mississippi, in all its details. Several miles in front of the ship, a long, thin black line seemed to extend across the sea like an immense
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April 3–4, 1846 - This was the most damaging storm since that of 1831. It was a hurricane-like storm but likely not of tropical origins, given the time of year. It cut a new channel between Cat Island and its
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The hurricanes of 1860 persuaded the pilots and their families to rebuild further upriver, which they did about five miles (8 km) away, on the east bank of the
Mississippi. The new settlement was named
299:. At its peak of population in the 19th century, it had about 800 residents. A school for children operated into the 20th century. Today the pilots usually stay there only temporarily for work shifts.
130:." La Balize was historically and economically important for overseeing the river. It was rebuilt several times because of hurricane damage. The active delta lobe of the river's mouth is called the
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in 1803, they sometimes called the village
Pilotsville. With the advent of steam tugboats in the 19th century, the pilots had more power to maneuver oceangoing ships in the river.
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pilots to help them navigate the bar, with its changing currents, mud and sandbars, and avoid going aground. After the Americans took control of the territory by the
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By 1853 La Balize had been relocated to the Southwest Pass, where it was built on the western bank about five miles (8 km) northwest of its first location.
544:"Carte du Fleuve Saint Louis ou Mississippy dix lieues au dessous de la Novelle Orleans Jusqu'a son Embouchoure" (c.1720), Louisiana State Museum Map Database
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September 15–16, 1855 - At Cat Island the lighthouse keeper's house was destroyed and the lighthouse imperiled. Almost everything else was swept away in the
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Historical records for La Balize documented the long struggle of the French, Spanish and Americans to maintain this critical site at the delta front:
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August 11, 1860 - In the first hurricane of the season, trees were uprooted and up to 10 feet (3.0 m) of water flooded the region of La Balize.
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La Balize was inhabited chiefly by fishermen, river pilots, and their families. The pilots were critical to helping ships navigate to and from the
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the mouth of the Mississippi were changing passages. The main ship passage changed four times before 1888. In 1750, the main passage was at the
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1740 - La Balize was destroyed in a hurricane. A new island arose which was called San Carlos. The village was built again on San Carlos.
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September 13, 1865 - Although La Balize had been abandoned since 1860, this hurricane destroyed the last traces of the village.
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river, and the isle and fort of La Balize. By 1721, the French had constructed a 62-foot (19 m)-high wooden pyramid as
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By 1853 also called Pilotsville, the village of La Balize was rebuilt about five miles (8 km) to the northwest in the
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Little of La Balize remains today. In the early 20th century, only a rusted iron tomb marking the site remained.
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July 25–28, 1819 - Ships anchored near La Balize suffered through a 24-hour gale, but only three were grounded.
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Maner L. Thorpe, "The Barbin and Goudeau Families of Louisiana," Santa Barbara, CA: M. L. Thorpe, 2006, p. 6
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October 2–3, 1860 - In the third hurricane of the season, there was widespread damage as far inland as
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comte de Pontchartrain, was significant in that it recognized the strategic importance of La Balize.
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1744 French map of the Mississippi Delta East Pass, showing Fort de la Balize on the lower right
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556:"A History of the Archdiocese of New Orleans - French Beginnings", Archdiocese of New Orleans
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at the settlement. It sat relatively high above the mud and marshes of the delta wetlands.
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Reclus was reading news about the port of Sebastopol, as it was then spelled, because the
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I never beheld a scene so utterly desolate as this entrance of the Mississippi. Had
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October 7–10, 1778 - La Balize was destroyed, but was rebuilt at this location.
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680:"History and description of the now lost city of Balize, Louisiana, from 1921"
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367:, we advanced rapidly. I folded all my newspapers and stopped thinking about
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captured her first perceptions as her ship entered the area of the river:
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from victories in the war with Mexico at Balize, Louisiana, November, 1847
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134:, after the settlement, or the Birdfoot Delta, because of its shape.
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There, Reclus described his impression of the village of la Balize:
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Travelers found the Mississippi delta an astonishing area. In her
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through the shifting passages, currents, and sandbars of the
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Buildings and structures in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
696:Élisée Reclus, "Fragment of a Voyage to Louisiana", 1855
225:. The main ship passage is again in the Southwest Pass.
100:
1720 map shows location of the East Pass and La Balize
962:
862:
793:
32:
351:, a young Frenchman who later became a renowned
330:seen it, he might have drawn images of another
1050:Geography of the New Orleans metropolitan area
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221:(also in Pass á Loutre), Southwest Pass, and
8:
1040:Ghost towns in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
503:, 1855; translated and reprinted, 1993-1994
752:
738:
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712:Fragment d'un voyage à la Nouvelle-Orléans
29:
1035:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
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436:sent a ship there during tensions with
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241:1831 - La Balize suffered major damage.
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1045:Populated coastal places in Louisiana
658:Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
613:Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
525:Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
480:Hydrometeorological Prediction Center
114:and settlement near the mouth of the
7:
1055:1721 establishments in North America
122:. The village's name (also spelled
760:Municipalities and communities of
25:
634:Fragment of a Voyage to Louisiana
501:Fragment of a Voyage to Louisiana
312:Domestic Manners of the Americans
594:, New York: Springer, 2002, p.67
581:, New York: Springer, 2002, p.66
217:), then in succession it was at
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678:Frost, Meigs O. (1921-10-09).
380:planned for the waters of the
1:
763:Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
651:"Louisiana Hurricane History"
606:"Louisiana Hurricane History"
518:"Louisiana Hurricane History"
473:"Louisiana Hurricane History"
440:prior to the outbreak of the
160:. The new village was named
1030:Colonial forts in Louisiana
684:louisianadigitallibrary.org
363:Thanks to the speed of the
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649:David Roth (2010-01-14).
604:David Roth (2010-01-14).
516:David Roth (2010-01-14).
471:David Roth (2010-01-14).
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51:
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709:Reclus, Élisée (1855).
118:, in what later became
1025:Louisiana (New France)
954:West Pointe à la Hache
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386:
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189:
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699:, accessed 7 May 2008
639:, accessed 7 May 2008
559:, accessed 6 May 2008
547:, accessed 6 May 2008
506:, accessed 7 May 2008
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361:
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257:returns U.S. General
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99:
79:29.12250°N 89.10722°W
998:United States portal
105:La Balize, Louisiana
823:New Orleans Station
686:. New Orleans Item.
147:river's delta front
84:29.12250; -89.10722
75: /
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404:Fort De La Boulaye
263:
203:Louisiana Purchase
190:
174:Robert de La Salle
172:When the explorer
158:Head of the Passes
120:Plaquemines Parish
102:
1020:Mississippi River
1007:
1006:
828:Pointe à la Hache
785:Pointe à la Hache
592:Engineered Coasts
579:Engineered Coasts
334:from its horrors.
195:Jérôme Phélypeaux
188:La Balize in 1828
116:Mississippi River
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16:(Redirected from
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991:Louisiana portal
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803:Belle Chasse
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717:. Retrieved
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409:Fort Jackson
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132:Balize Delta
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964:Ghost towns
929:Jesuit Bend
909:Grand Bayou
884:Braithwaite
866:communities
778:Parish seat
590:Jiyu Chen,
577:Jiyu Chen,
442:Crimean War
285:Baton Rouge
271:storm surge
143:New Orleans
82: /
54:Pilotsville
1014:Categories
919:Happy Jack
808:Boothville
664:2010-03-28
619:2010-03-28
531:2010-03-28
486:2010-03-28
452:References
378:Suez Canal
369:Sebastopol
353:geographer
306:Literature
280:Pilottown.
245:lighthouse
223:South Pass
70:89°06′26″W
67:29°07′21″N
977:La Balize
949:Port Eads
944:Pilottown
357:anarchist
297:Pilottown
213:(part of
179:la balize
162:Pilottown
126:) meant "
124:La Balise
34:La Balize
18:La Balize
972:Burrwood
889:Carlisle
874:Bellevue
444:in 1854.
398:See also
314:(1833),
255:Monmouth
939:Phoenix
924:Ironton
904:Diamond
894:Dalcour
879:Bohemia
838:Triumph
719:23 July
636:, 1855
365:tugboat
168:History
128:seamark
934:Orchid
899:Davant
843:Venice
818:Empire
438:Russia
434:French
344:there.
332:Bolgia
109:French
107:was a
864:Other
813:Buras
654:(PDF)
609:(PDF)
521:(PDF)
476:(PDF)
420:Notes
374:jetty
339:come.
328:Dante
27:Place
795:CDPs
721:2022
355:and
139:port
112:fort
141:of
1016::
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459:^
164:.
753:e
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20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
